Boxing continues to get weird.
ESPN confirmed today (Mon., June 27, 2022) that an exhibition boxing match on July 30, 2022, in Los Angeles, California is set to go down between National Football League (NFL) running backs, Adrian Peterson and Le’Veon Bell. The match will be fought at Heavyweight on an event known as Social Gloves 2, hosted by YouTuber Austin McBroom.
McBroom will main event the card opposite former Jake Paul boxing victim (watch highlights), Ali Loui Al-Fakri, also known as “AnEsonGib.” Rapper Blueface also fights that night, taking on National Basketball Association (NBA) player, Nick Young. Because why the hell not?
With the 2022 season starting this September, Peterson and Bell are both currently free agents in the NFL. Peterson, 37, is most famously known for his time spent as the lead back for the Minnesota Vikings from 2007 to 2016. The one-time most valuable player (MVP) and all-time great has played for six different teams since then, most recently getting reps in with the Seattle Seahawks for one game in 2021. However, he did play three games with the Tennessee Titans before that as well.
Bell, 30, on the other hand, is recognized for having his best years during his five-year stretch with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2013 to 2017 before holding out for the entire 2018 season with hopes of getting a better contract. Bell was traded to the New York Jets in the following offseason and hasn’t been able to produce the same type of results, having bounced around to three other teams since.
The pair of once-dynamic rushers will follow in the footsteps of their fellow running back, Frank Gore, who had his first exhibition match in Dec. 2021 against former NBA player, Deron Williams (watch highlights). Gore most recently debuted as a pro, scoring a vicious fourth-round knockout vs. Olaseyinde Olorunsola in May 2022 (watch highlights).